Reported rape similar to 5 other incidents

Friday

Jun 26, 1992 at 12:01 AM

††††The reported rape of a 78-year-old woman Wednesday night or early Thursday in Arkwright is similar to four other rapes and an attempted rape over the past five months, and authorities believe the attacker may be the same in each case. Spartanburg police and Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office detectives are sharing information on at least three of the cases, but have not formed a special team to investigate the crimes, all of which involve women over 60. "There are similarities in this one, the earlier one we had (in April) and one the police had," sheriff's office spokesman Mike Little said. This week's rape is the fourth report of a rape or attempted rape of an elderly woman near the Arkwright community in the past four months. Two, including the latest one, were in Arkwright. The other one and a failed attempt were in Spartanburg but less than a mile from Arkwright. A rape with some similarities to the south-side rapes occurred in February on Wofford Street in central Spartanburg. After two attacks within a week at the end of April, city investigators said they believed they could be dealing with the same man in each attack. The other two cases, including Thursday's, are under investigation by the Sheriff's Office. In each case the victims have been unable to get a good look at the man, who has worn some type of mask or hood. Still, the sheriff's office is looking for someone described as stocky and about 6 feet tall. He is described as a black male. The woman who reported being raped Thursday told detectives she was attacked sometime between 10:20 p.m. Wednesday when she went to bed and 6:30 a.m. Thursday when she called a friend to say she had a cut on her finger. The woman told detectives a man wearing a stocking mask broke through a back door of her house at an unknown time and began choking her. She said the man threw her around, then raped her. Detectives believe the man carried a knife, but no money or items were taken from the house. The assaults all involve a man breaking into the houses of women who were alone. Each of the victims had her face covered and none has been able to identify her attacker. Spartanburg Rape Crisis Center Executive Director Ann Hicks said she is concerned that the women may have been raped by the same man. "We're still very much wondering what are we looking at here?" Hicks said. "Is one person operating and preying on the elderly?" Hicks said she plans to talk to churches where the women attend and try to deal with the fear that grips people during a string of similar crimes. "If this person is going around in that community, he is going to prey on persons likely to be easier to victimize than others," Hicks said. "One would hope they (law enforcement) would step up activity in the Arkwright area." The following reports of rapes or attempted rape of elderly women have similarities. ‚Feb. 4, a 79-year-old woman on Wofford Street was tied up and raped at knifepoint by a man who burst into her house. She was alone about 10 p.m. when she was raped. The attacker took $40 and the woman's purse. The other attacks have all been within about one mile of one another near Arkwright. ‚April 5, a 67-year-old woman in Arkwright was raped repeatedly by a man and she waited in fear for almost eight hours before a family member found her. The attacker, armed with a knife, forced his way into her house about 2 a.m. She was alone. Nothing was taken from the house but the woman had no money. ‚April 26, a man broke into a 62-year-old woman's house on South Liberty Street. The man attempted to rape the woman, who lived alone, but she fought him off and he fled. The man held a knife to her and took less than $10. ‚May 1, a 91-year-old woman was raped and robbed in her South Church Street home by a man who carried a knife. The man attacked the woman about 2:30 a.m. He took less than $10. The assaults tend to happen late at night shortly before or after midnight. The Rape Crisis Center and Spartanburg County Council on Aging have been trying to inform elderly people about safety measures they can take and what they should do if they are raped. Sue Brown, aging council director, said she will probably have additional education presentations at daily council meetings and broadcast a program on rape prevention on the council's cable program.